McDONALD'S will neither confirm nor deny it, but word on the web is that the typical franchise sells about $2 million a year in burgers and fries.

The franchisee might take home as much as 10 per cent of that after expenses. It's a lucrative business for all concerned.

But not everyone wants a McDonald's in their town or suburb. Overnight, a protesteror was arrested after being removed from a roof at the proposed McDonald's in Tecoma, in the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges 34km east of Melbourne.

The 24-year-old uni student from a neighbouring town was part of a 100-strong protest group confronted by 50 members of Victoria Police, who moved in around 4am.

She'd been on the roof for a week. Protests have been going on for almost two years. Peaceful Tecoma is a town at war.

This issue, like the iconic Australian movie The Castle, is about the "vibe". It's about a small town which is the gateway to an area of great natural beauty, and which wants to continue looking and feeling like a small town.

Last night, to borrow another familiar phrase from The Castle, there was a distinct lack of serenity in Tecoma.

It all started in 2011 when McDonald's lodged an application for a 24-hour store with a drive-thru. More than 1000 objections poured in. Councillors listened and unanimously rejected the proposal. But that wasn't the end of things. Not by a long way.

In stepped a body called the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT). It overturned the decision. That enraged residents, who immediately rallied and planted a community garden at the proposed site. They also produced an evocative YouTube video.

Check it. Mulch, tree-planting, mood music which sounds awful enough to be Coldplay, more mulch, middle-aged men with long hair and beanies, kids in onesies, kids wandering around the countryside like they're a South Australian tourism ad, a sign that says "resistance is fertile".

The video is quite the bucolic fantasy. But does it represent the silent majority in town who'd be quietly thrilled to have a cheap burger joint to take the kiddies to, not to mention a source of 100 jobs?

McDonald's says it just might. "We understand that McDonald's isn't for everyone," a spokesperson told us. (She had a name, by the way, but like the secret ingredients of special sauce, she preferred we didn't disclose it.)

"We know that we've got support. There are people who are supportive of us."

Yes, but are there more supporters than the 1000-plus protesters who constitute at least half of the town's population?

"We're not sure," she said.

No Macca's in Tecoma spokesman Gary Muratore is. He is now taking this thing all the way to Victorian premier Denis Napthine. What happens next remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, an excavator arrived on site this morning to remove the last of the existing buildings. This may yet be an on-paper win for McDonald's, with a gleaming new store on site within a year.

Locals have made their feelings about a McDonald's in Tecoma very clear.Source:News Limited

But ultimately, it could also be a PR disaster. Many locals, including those who don't mind the odd Quarter Pounder, believe McDonald's has shown a win-at-all costs attitude.

"While Victoria struggles with not enough infant care beds in hospitals, the public purse supports 50 cops to turn up in a little town to support a US company that serves unhealthy food. What has Australia come to?!?"

Mac Fan of east Melbourne had a different view:

"I hope that Macca's, once established, will not employ anyone from Tecoma or the protesters and their family members and supporters. Those morons who stop progress do not deserve any jobs at the store, not even cleaning the toilets!!! I bet quite a few of those protesters are unemployed and on the dole which is why they have so much time on their hands."

Meanwhile, McDonald's further defended police actions today by saying "we respect people's right to express their opinions, but not when they put themselves or other people at risk".

The question here is who or what was at risk, apart from McDonald's commercial interests? Comment below or view the petition here.

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